


Highland Bakery

by orphan_account



Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Meetings, M/M, ahh not many tags to put on this, i punched a hot stranger au, i think at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 21:05:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5758819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your typical "wow you're hot, oh god I didn't mean to punch you" au.</p>
<p>It's Vaughn's birthday when Rhys meets Jack</p>
            </blockquote>





	Highland Bakery

Rhys and Yvette had promised to take Vaughn out for lunch for his birthday. It was actually something Rhys liked to do, because it was a rare occasion when all three of them got to get together outside of work. Rhys saw only Vaughn regularly on the weekends because their apartments were close, and Saturday mornings were frequently reserved for the two of them to play videogames together. 

 

(Their shared love for all the Lego games stayed within the walls of Rhys’ apartment.)

 

_ This  _ Saturday however, was Vaughn’s birthday, and Rhys had planned the whole affair extensively, and  _ awesomely  _ he might add. Currently, they were about halfway through the day, and were meeting Yvette for lunch at a restaurant with an attached bakery. Despite their reservations, it was still a thirty five minute wait. The bakery portion of the building doubled as the waiting area for groups before they were seated. At the moment it was  _ packed as hell _ .

 

“Ah, I’m sorry bro, our reservations were at one thirty, but we still have gotta wait. We can go somewhere else if you want.” Rhys said, leaning close to Vaughn to speak over the noise.

 

“It’s no problem bro, I’m not pressed for time, but then again I don’t know what’s planned for the rest of the day, so maybe we are.” Vaughn smiled back at him. Rhys was silently thankful Vaughn was so easy going, but he actually had planned for leeway around lunch, given Yvette’s reputation to be late.

 

Party’s of two were getting called in, and the room was starting to clear out a little more, allowing Rhys to look around and observe. The West wall made up the bakery portion with clear display cases that were filled with every assortment of confections, and Rhys debated buying some to eat until they were seated. Vaughn was normally on a semi-strict diet because, “You don’t get abs like these by eating macaroons for dinner, Rhys”, but the taller man figured he could spring for his birthday.

 

“Hey Vaughn, do you want like a birthday cupcake while we wait, there’s like ten different flavors, they all look amazing.”

 

Vaughn shot him a look that said  _ don’t tempt me  _ and Rhys rolled his eyes.

 

“C’mon, it’s your birthday, you can get like a little mini one or something, or move your cheat day.  _ C’mon.” _

 

“Rhys,the whole point of establishing a cheat day is so that you can cheat on  _ that  _ day, keep yourself in line. If I  _ move  _ the day, what’s the point.”

 

“But it’s your birthday!” Rhys whined, giving Vaughn a pleading look. 

 

“Dude, I know you have a wicked sweet tooth, if you want one, then get one.” Vaughn said, shrugging.

 

Rhys gave a look of defeat. If Vaughn wasn’t going to than Rhys could wait too. He let his eyes roam around the room again until they landed on a man standing near the entrance, looking at his phone.

 

_An_ _incredibly attractive man standing by the entrance looking at his phone._

 

His feet were apart in a powerful stance, but his shoulders were curved as he looked down the the phone in his hands. His hair was swept up in a perfect wave, and his skin looked tan and a little rough, like maybe he used his hands for whatever job he did. Speaking of his hands, they were huge and made Rhys swallow when he studied them. He had to look away before he was caught staring. 

 

He nudged Vaughn with his elbow, pointedly looking away from the man.

 

“Bro look, guy by the door. Don’t be suspicious.”

 

Vaughn whipped his head up and looked at the guy blatantly, causing Rhys to sigh in exasperation and move to block Vaughn’s view. 

 

Vaughn looked back to Rhys, a little questioningly. “Yeah, what about him?”

 

Rhys made his eyes wide, like he was surprised Vaughn hadn’t figured it out himself.

 

“He’s super hot bro, oh my god.”

 

Vaughn rolled his eyes dramatically, stealing a glance over Rhys’ shoulder to look at the man again. “You always think those dad types are really hot, what’s with you.”

 

“Ugh, I’m just trying to point out an attractive stranger to you, and you had to bring my sexual preferences into the conversation, I can’t believe you.”

 

“I’m just identifying a pattern, not criticizing you.” Vaughn said with a pat to Rhys’ arm and a smile that showed he was trying not to laugh.

 

Rhys turned to look back at the handsome man, who was now talking to a girl. She had to be about sixteen, with dark hair that was swooping over one eye. She was talking excitedly, but Rhys couldn’t hear her from across the room. The man nodded with a small smile and placed a kiss on the girl's forehead before she resumed speaking.

 

So he was a dad, and a really cute one. Rhys could now see a deep scar from the new angle, that ran a dark blue arc over the bridge of his nose and over his left eye. He could also observe the color differences in the man’s eyes, not unlike Rhys’ own. He was becoming more and more interesting by the minute.

 

As Rhys scanned his face again he realized the stranger was staring back at him with an eyebrow raised, and Rhys flushed red in embarrassment, quickly turning his head back to Vaughn.

 

“Bro, Vaughn, he caught me staring at him oh my god, what do I do.” Rhys said, panic slightly present in his voice.

 

Vaughn looked up from his own phone, and peered lightly over Rhys’ shoulder.

 

“Well, right now he’s just kind of smirking a little, but looking back at his phone. Dude, it that his  _ daughter?  _ He really is a dad Rhys, wow.” 

 

Rhys flushed a little darker, and felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned quickly, but was met with the face of Yvette. It was half expecting it to be the mystery man. Half hoping too.

 

“So what’s up boys, no table yet?” She asked sliding her hand off Rhys.

 

“Yeah, the wait should be down to about ten minutes now, so we’re close.” Vaughn said, smiling up at her.

 

Yvette pulled a small bag from behind her back, which was adorned with neat tissue paper sticking out of it. “Here, got you a little something. But don’t open it now, wait till after lunch.”

 

Vaughn pulled her into a short one armed hug, and took the bag from her. “Thanks Yvette, I’ll consider it payment for all your free lunches, as well as a birthday present.”

 

“So what’s up, what’s your day been like?” She asked, shuffling closer to the two of them as the door opened and let in a gust of cool air. 

 

“Oh well Rhys has had plenty of fun and entertaining things laid out for me, with more to come as well, but the current entertainment is watching Rhys lust over the guy near the door with his daughter.” Vaughn quirked a slight smile, and Yvette turned to look at the man, albeit less obviously than Vaughn.

 

Rhys groaned. “I’m not  _ lusting  _ after him, I was just pointing out that he’s attractive.”

 

“Then why are you still red from when he looked at you?” Vaughn questioned jokingly, although it was a valid point.

 

Yvette laughed a little, turning back to look at Rhys. “I mean yeah he’s hot, but you’re always a sucker for older guys.”

 

Rhys through his hands up in exasperation, causing both Vaughn and Yvette to laugh more.

 

“Jack Lawrence, party of two!” the hostess called out, and Rhys grumbled quietly. They couldn’t help it which tables freed up, but he was still a little bitter. 

 

Rhys stretched, arching his back and pushing his arms above his head. He brought them down right as someone was passing behind him and he heard a loud “Ow, what the fuck?”

 

Rhys turned quickly to be met with the sight of the stranger looking slightly dazed at just being hit. There was a thin trickle of blood coming out of his nose, and Rhys went pale.

 

“I- oh my god- I’m so sorry, I- are you alright, there’s blood.” Rhys said frantically, and he moved his hands to go to touch the blood, to wipe it off, to do something, because he had no idea what to do. He had just hit the man he had been staring at, had hit him hard enough in the nose apparently to cause blood to run.

 

Behind Rhys, Yvette and Vaughn were standing shocked, which quickly turned into the two trying to suppress laughter. 

 

To Rhys though, this was the exact opposite of funny. What if he had broken the man’s nose? His really nice, angular nose. God, were all of his features this perfect up close?

 

The man brought his fingers up and lightly touched the blood underneath his nostril, and brought his hand away to look at it. 

 

Rhys was mortified, and still had no idea what to do.

 

The man turned to his daughter and gestured for her to follow the hostess.

 

“I’ll be there in a second Angel, you know what I want right?” he asked, as if he hadn’t just been elbowed in the nose, and was rather having to take a quick business call. 

 

The girl, Angel apparently, also looked like she was trying not to laugh, and nodded shortly before approaching the hostess stand and repeating the name “Jack Lawrence” back to her in confirmation.

 

So the man Rhys had elbowed was Jack. At least now there was a name to the hot, bloody face.

 

Jack turned towards the bathrooms and began walking away before he looked back over his shoulder at Rhys expectantly.

 

“What, you not gonna help me?” he asked, and Rhys kick started into motion and began to follow after him, still stunned himself.

 

He walked in after Jack into the bathroom and began apologizing as the other man grabbed paper towels from the roll.

 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize you were there, and god, I swear it was an accident, and I’m so sorry again. What can I do?”

 

Jack grinned at him from where his head was tilted forward, fingers pinching his nostrils with a towel.

 

“You can’t do anything, stopping a nosebleed is more of a one person job, and I know how to do it. I had you come in here cause I saw you staring at me and thought I’d ask why.”

 

Fuck the nosebleed, having to explain to this man why he was staring was ten times more embarrassing. The color that had drained from Rhys’ face was quickly replaced as he blushed again, moving his eyes away from Jack’s.

 

“Well?” Jack asked impatiently.

 

“I, well, I. I mean. You. I thought you. You’re really attractive, and I didn’t mean to stare it just sort of happened.” There was no grace to his sentence whatsoever.

 

Jack’s grin broadened and he looked at Rhys through his eyebrows. Which was really hot in Rhys’ opinion. Like  _ really  _ hot, and it caused his blush to deepen.

 

“What’s your name kid?” 

 

“It’s Rhys.”

 

“Well,” Jack said, pausing to lift his head up slightly and check the bleeding, “Rhys, I’m Jack. If you’re feeling bad, I can think of a way for you to repay me.” He cocked an eyebrow.

 

Rhys knowingly dropped to his knees, looking up at Jack from his position below him.

 

Jack’s eyebrows shot up, and he doubled over in laughter.

 

“Holy SHIT kiddo, you were about to suck my dick, AMAZING!” 

 

Rhys didn’t think it was possible for him to feel worse in this moment. He rose slowly, eyes now on the floor and he let out a soft “Oh god”, because no words could describe how much he wanted to die right now.

 

Jack laughed some more before letting it trail off into small chuckles. 

 

“I was thinking more along the lines of your number or something so I could take you on a date, but if you wanna get straight to it, then by all means.”

 

Rhys let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. The stranger- Jack wanted his number? Rhys should give nosebleeds more often. 

 

“I um, okay.” Rhys said, still freaked out.

 

Jack gave him a faintly leering look, and took his phone out from the inside of his Jacket and unlocked it before handing it to Rhys.

 

Rhys took it numbly, shocked at how him elbowing a man in the nose ended with him giving said man his number. He entered his name and number as “Rhys Somerset (the guy who made your nose bleed)” and handed the phone back to Jack. 

 

The older man scanned over the information with a snort and then placed it back in his pocket. He then shot the bloody paper towel in the trashcan behind Rhys, and repressed the urge to say “Score!” as it landed in the waste basket. He did think this kid was pretty hot himself after all, and wasn’t going to let him see that side of himself so soon. 

 

Straightening up, Jack looked Rhys in the eye.

 

“Alright Rhys, my table is ready and my daughter’s waiting, so I’m gonna go, but I’ll catch ya later cupcake.” 

 

Rhys had a lopsided grin on his face and breathed out a “Yeah, catch you later” as Jack moved past him out the door. 

 

Rhys took a minute to compose himself before leaving the bathroom too, seeing that Jack had already seated himself and apparently Yvette and Vaughn had been seated too. He found their table and made his way over to them, biting back a grin.

 

Yvette and Vaughn did not bite back theirs though and let out a series of short whistles as he approached them. Luckily Jack didn’t seem to be seated in the main room, and was not there to hear them.

 

“So Rhys, why the look?” Yvette asked cheekily.

 

Rhys paused, looking at his friends before he said “I gave him my number” in a sing song voice.

 

Vaughn pouted slightly. “How come Rhys gets a hot strangers number after  _ punching him  _ on  _ my  _ birthday. Not fair.”

 

“Technically, Rhys gave the guy his number so there’s no guarantee they’ll hook up because he might not call.”

 

“Hey!” Rhys exclaimed, minorly offended.

 

“What, I’m just trying to make him feel better.” Yvette teased, and Vaughn smiled beside her.

  
Rhys in truth, had no way of knowing the stranger would call him for a date, but was excited nonetheless.

**Author's Note:**

> This was honestly so fun...? Maybe I'll continue on with some nice modern day domestic stuff if anyone thinks it'd be a good idea. What my soul needs. I hope you liked it!
> 
> This is the Highland Bakery in the old fourth ward for you atl readers!
> 
> Hit me up on tumblr @rhysiebaby


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